Untitled on #WorldTurtleDay

I’m thinking that I might update this list, as a list, when it becomes a stand-up routine, OR, I can simply rant and rave, or more likely, rave about the rant, until I’ve met my artificial word count.

It’s unclear to me at this time what my journey will be along the path I take. Or, do you take the path, and then talk about the resulting journey? We’ve discussed this aspect before, actually. This is not intended to be anything resembling a journalism course, simply because, I don’t remember most of what I was taught back in Ms. Meiner’s 8th grade journalism course that I took, however, I do remember that it led to writing for the school paper the next year….

Who? What? When? Where? Why? and sometimes, How? Are the five W’s. Well, six.  Choose the order, tell your story. Which as you’re supposed to be objective, is actually their story. That makes you, a reporter. At it’s root, a journalist is one who journals. I’m reminded of a rant of a fictionalized newsman. “We are not the news!!!”, he shouts into the camera, as the live feed goes out to the audience, and he confesses his misdeed. The TV version of the Network speech.

My true problem here is that I don’t truly have a title for this particular missive on this particular day. Twitter has infected the ‘net with tags celebrating various days, and today is #WorldTurtleDay.  As you know, you’re not supposed to mock the World Turtle, and there’s a religion that believes we’re on the back of a giant space turtle. See also, The Flat Earth Society.

I could state simply that my title is one of the aforementioned hashtags, but I like calling them octothorpes because that’s what they really are. We’ve discussed that elsewhere too.

I’ve come up with a title. I hope you like it. If you have another suggestion, comments are open….

 

You Are Your Headshot

I know I’ve written about this elsewhere, however it bears repeating. I want to know what you look like. Producer, one of the seven or eight things I do depending on whom you ask makes this relevant.

I don’t want to know what you looked like more than let’s say three years ago. The best version of yourself is who you are live in front of me. If you send me to a site with pictures that make you look significantly younger than what you actually look like, you’ve wasted my time.

Don’t do this.

I get paid a lot of money when I get paid and you probably can’t afford me. I expect that you do as well. The entertainment industry has unions with scale, and they’re purportedly a living wage.  That’s why we got into this in the first place right?

I give you respect, and politely look at your headshot, and then you come in with a look that is radically different. You’ve wasted gas, and your time as well.  Furthermore, this is 2018, and I don’t hide my emotions or my opinions from anyone, therefore if I call you out for an old headshot, you may have lost a job not only with me, but with all of my producer friends as well.

You’re probably asking yourself, “Mike, where’s your headshot?” Well, I could post a current one here, but it’s available elsewhere. It’s an even numbered year, so the mustache is current. I’m willing to shave it for the right price as allegedly it will grow back.

At least, that’s what they tell me at Barber College.

I’m not saying my time is more valuable than yours, however in this instantaneous society in which we currently live, do you really want to take a chance like this? I know I don’t….

I do feel a bit hypocritical however.  I had a really great photographer take headshots of me, and I haven’t posted them yet. I’m faced with too many choices syndrome. Again, 2018, and digital photography are the culprits.

I’ll probably end up posting what I end up with here at some point.

Stay tuned.

If I’m wrong, let me know in the comments, okay?